ROASTED EGGPLANT MOZZARELLA ZITI PASTA
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5
 
Ingredients
  • Pasta: ½ lb (Ziti)
  • Eggplant –1 large, Skin peeled and cut into large cubes.
  • Olive oil – 2 tbsp.
  • Red Chilli flakes – 1 tsp.
  • Onion – 1 cup, chopped
  • Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
  • Italian Peeled crushed tomatoes – 1 can – 28oz
  • Parmiggiano Reggiano – ¼ cup
  • Fresh Basil – Chopped
  • Mozzarella – 1 cup, cubed
  • Salt and pepper – as needed
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
  2. Fill a large pot of water, sprinkle some salt and bring to a boil.
  3. Add the cubed eggplant to a baking sheet and drizzle some olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Toss them well. Bake for 30 minutes.
  4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chilli flakes, onion, garlic and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes till the onions have turned golden brown.
  5. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  6. Now add the eggplant and simmer for ten minutes.
  7. This is the right point where you add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. I cooked for 8 minutes. Drain well.
  8. Add the pasta to the sauce and garnish with parmiggiano and basil. Toss them all together nicely.
  9. Now add the cubed mozzarella when it is hot (important!), toss it well, this will melt the cheese from the heat of pasta.
  10. Serve right away or reheat and serve to feel the mozzarella melting in mouth.
Notes
1. you can use fresh tomatoes too instead of canned tomato.
2. I used ziti, you can use any like penne, rigatoni.
Recipe by Relish The Bite at https://www.relishthebite.com/roasted-eggplant-mozzarella-pasta/